Scribblings

I have been trying to use those little bits of time, that I often find myself wasting, to get some more reading done, so that I can approach the next term's project from as informed a starting point as possible.
As I've been reading I've been making notes, scribbling down thoughts, and gathering ideas into my journal. I want to share some of them on this post, but without any sense of artistry or refinement, so that not only will I be reflecting on them again in typing but will have an idea, through what I select and what I don't, of what is really important to me at this stage in the process.

1. 31st July 2013
To research confidently, ethically and with informed direction and content I need to understand three things,

                    Student perspectives on motivation in the dance class

Student - researching 'with' not 'on' (France, 2004), gaining trust and not making false claims (Kellett et al, 2004), eliciting true and honest responses from participants (Greene and Hill, 2005), maintaining the 3 P's - protect, provide, participate (Anderson, 2004), provide opportunity within the inquiry for meaningful experience that is relevant to all (Emond, 2005).

Perspectives - inform students (about inquiry, about their role, etc.), allow students to 'create' their interview so as to give maximum opportunity to voice experiences and thoughts - seeing student as social actor not passive recipient (Robinson and Kellett, 2004; Kellett et al, 2004; Fraser and Robinson, 2004), not imposing my ideas as to what should and shouldn't be included in the interview (Fraser, 2004), being aware of my own framing of what 'students' are - their competencies, understanding and value (Westcott & Littleton, 2005)

Motivation - What is it? Why is it important? Can it be enhanced and if so, how? (Sass, 1989; Stinson, 1992) How do I explain it to my students without adding in my interpretation or leading them along a particular way of thinking? Does my understanding of motivation (in particular within the framework of 'the dance class') have any bearing on my inquiry? - acknowledge awareness and accept any limitations.

N.B. The following 'scribblings' will reflect that I am, currently, still concerned with gaining as much knowledge as possible on how best to gather 'student perspectives' as I feel that unless I understand this aspect of my inquiry I will not be able to truly give my students the forum to voice their thoughts on, and experiences of, motivation within the dance class - thus rendering my inquiry valueless!
I will, of course, also need to develop my knowledge of motivation.

2. 29th July 2013 &12th August
Interview design:

• take paper, pens, etc. and ask how student would like to share experiences/ideas? - give control over to student taking power away from researcher...
• researcher asks questions? - thereby framing the data to be 'extracted' from the participants (Westcott & Littleton, 2005) 
• researcher and participant create areas of discussion through negotiation and discourse? - trust is built between both parties, value is placed not only on what student has to say but however they feel it is best presented to the researcher.  
• scatter diagrams/ white board on which to stick post-it notes? - more inclusive than just answering researchers questions or creating narrative accounts of experiences as it allows for shy or verbally insecure students input.
• read from diary? - might open the door to discourse and/ or jog memory of a particular feeling or event but could then be subject to hindsight and revision
• let student just talk about experiences? - takes researcher/ participant a step away from 'giving/ getting the right answer' but, depending on student, this might be nerve-wracking or lead to creation of fantasy or embellishment.

The design of my interview must involve thinking not only about student but about myself too, for example, what is my role within the interview? Am I 'looking for the correct answer to the right question?' Am I approaching my inquiry from the point of view of knowing better than my students or am I listening to each one as expert in their own life? (Westcott & Littleton, 2005).

In creating the right 'mood' for the interview perhaps a statement of my intentions, for example,
"I am asking you to help me with my research in the hopes that I will be able to:

• listen,
• better understand, and
• learn

what motivates students in the dance class."
Then follow this up with, "What do you want to get out of this interview?" or "What made you feel that you wanted to participate in this project?"
By putting both sides 'wants' or needs out in the open I would hope to

1. build trust,
2. share power equally (or more equally),
3. create a collaborative nature to the interview, and/ or
4. have the opportunity to clarify any over-stretching hopes that the student might have for the inquiry, for example, that this research will change the world, etc!

(Westcott & Littleton, 2005; Roberts, 2004)

3. 6th August
Interview setting needs to be considered carefully to minimise potential harm to student (and researcher):

• safe environment?
• relaxing environment?
• private environment?

If I interview in my studio will this reinforce my position as teacher thereby putting pressure on student to give 'right' answers or hold back on what they really want to say? Perhaps using an empty restroom or changing area puts me into their 'territory' and therefore giving student more power? How about asking the student?! (Greene & Hill, 2005).

If area is isolated am I putting both student and myself at risk from outsider danger? Perhaps somewhere private but not far from other people?

Arrangement of room could add to pressure on student if, for example, it takes place in the principals office where students are summoned when in trouble and researcher takes principals seat?

What about protecting myself from possible harm? Keep interview room door open at all times but sit away from door to maintain confidentiality?

(Emond, 2005; Westcott & Littleton, 2005)

4. 3rd August 2013
By choosing students who take classes with multiple teachers within the school - to help eliminate potential harm from identification; to give more variety in experience of motivation - have I reduced the wider application of my research? By definition do my participants have:

• greater intrinsic dance enthusiasm,
• stronger friendships/ greater social networks within the dance class,
• come from wealthier families,

and does this affect motivation?
Does it matter? Should I acknowledge this possibility in my report? And does it all depend on what my students reveal to me?

This also raises the issue of 'who is excluded' again - should I take steps to explain why those not asked were excluded. Yes, I think so - it may be that by not being asked to take part some students might feel under-valued, unimportant, 'not good enough', etc.
So first week back of the term address any classes where there are students of similar ages and explain reasons behind who was asked and who was not.



In (a kind of) conclusion I can see that everything above, and, indeed, the whole crux of how I approach, plan and conduct my research, relies on the answer to a very important question:
Am I looking to provide theoretical frameworks and/ or definitive answers on the topic of motivation to other teachers/ educators/ etc. or is my aim to listen, understand and provide a written interpretation of my students voices around the subject of motivation in the dance class that may provide insight to me, as teacher, and to others on the benefits of giving value to students thoughts and experiences?

N.B. I hope that my answer to this question, if not already clear to you, will become apparent over the next few months as I continue to blog about my journey.


References

Anderson, P. 2004. Ethics. In: Fraser, S., Lewis, V., Ding, S., Kellett, M. and Robinson, C. eds. 2004. Doing Research with Children and Young People. London: Sage, pp. 97-112.

Emond, R. 2005. Ethnographis Research Methods with Children and Young People. In: Greene, S. and Hogan, D. eds. 2005. Reseaching Children's Experiences. London: Sage Publications Ltd, pp. 123-139.

France, A. 2004. Young People. In: Fraser, S., Lewis, V., Ding, S., Kellett, M. and Robinson, C. eds. 2004. Doing Research with Children and Young People. London: Sage, pp. 175-190.

Fraser, S. and Robinson, C. 2004. Paradigms and Philosophy. In: Fraser, S., Lewis, V., Ding, S., Kellett, M. and Robinson, C. eds. 2004. Doing Research with Children and Young People. London: Sage, pp. 59-77.

Greene, S. and Hill, M. 2005. Researching Children's Experience: Methods and Methodological Issues. In: Greene, S. and Hogan, D. eds. 2005. Researching Children's Experiences. London: Sage Publications Ltd, pp. 1-21.

Kellett, M., Robinson, C., and Burr, R. 2004. Images of Childhood. In: Fraser, S., Lewis, V., Ding, S., Kellett, M. and Robinson, C. eds. 2004. Doing Research with Children and Young People. London: Sage, pp. 27-42.

Roberts, H. 2004. Health and Social Care. In: Fraser, S., Lewis, V., Ding, S., Kellett, M. and Robinson, C. eds. 2004. Doing Research with Children and Young People. London: Sage, pp. 239-254.

Robinson, C. and Kellett, M. 2004. Power. In: Fraser, S., Lewis, V., Ding, S., Kellett, M. and Robinson, C. eds. 2004. Doing Research with Children and Young People. London: Sage, pp. 81-96.

Sass, E. 1989. Motivation in the College Classroom: What Students tell us. Teaching of Psychology, 16 (2), pp. 86-88. Available at: http://top.sagepub.com/content/16/2/86.full.pdf+html [Accessed: 19/03/2013].
 

Stinson, S. W. (1992). Reflections on student experience in dance education. Design for Arts in Education, 93 (5), 21-27.

Westcott, H. and Littleton, K. 2005. Exploring Meaning in Interviews with Children. In: Greene, S. and Hogan, D. eds. 2005. Researching Children's Experiences. London: Sage Publications Ltd, pp. 141 - 157.

Laying the path

After posting about how I am hoping to use the Summer for reading and planning (post-module musings), and having had Paula reinforce the potential value of doing so in her recent email, I also wanted to get the permissions 'ball rolling' by getting out my letters of consent before the end of term.

In this inquiry I am planning to use students from two of the schools I am currently working at, and so need to produce two letters of consent - one for the principal of each school (the gatekeeper of my participants) and one for the students themselves, which, due to the chosen age of my study group, requires parents/ guardians consent too.

Using the model consent form on the libguides web page as a starting point I added and subtracted sections to personalise it to my inquiry, and re-worded several sections to ensure I was being as clear and open as possible.
I also felt, and this was suggested in an email from Paula too, that due to the nature of my inquiry topic I needed to produce a separate document that outlined clearly the format my inquiry would take - basically a guide to what I would be asking participants to do and why - then it hit me, I've already produced an outline to submit for approval! So I took the most relevant sections of my Module 2 Inquiry Proposal and trimmed them into a one-page, gatekeeper-/ student-/ parent-friendly guide to my aims, objectives, and how I will approach my upcoming research.

I was initially concerned with gaining written consent from the school principals, as without permission to interact with their pupils I have no inquiry!
I gave both 'gatekeepers' an envelope containing two copies of the consent letter plus my 'inquiry guide'. I felt that it was important that both the principals and I had a copy of the letter - signed by both - as record of what had been agreed. My reason for this being that the letter is a contract, one that requires both parties to uphold their side of the agreement. In having one copy held by either signatory it feels more open, more honest and, hopefully, allows less opportunity for misunderstanding between myself and the school principals (given that my research won't be taking place until after the long Summer break).

I am very pleased to say that I have already received back one letter giving me consent to use students at the school, and although I haven't had the second one back yet I have been given every reason to believe that there will be no problem there either. PHEW!

So now all I have to do is choose which students to give letters to and why - a big decision that needs consideration - after all 'we have to examine the concepts we use in order to ensure that our approach is reasoned and reasonable' (Fraser 2004, p.21).

• Is my sample representative of a) my schools and/ or b) the wider population of local dance school students? After all, my choice of student could alter the validity of my research.
• Will my students be able to talk honestly and freely without feeling worried that talking about certain things might cause problems in the future? To reduce the possibility of this happening I will only be selecting participants that study dance lessons with more than one teacher at the school.
• Motivation is a concept that might prove difficult to some so, therefore, do I choose students whom I believe are able to understand the concept? Or is this predicting and ultimately projecting my own ideas/ conceptions of a student's understanding or ability onto my research? (Greene and Hogan 2005, p.8)  Should the sample group be randomly drawn or hand-picked?
• I also need to consider the impact of not choosing certain students to participate and how they might view this. Is it important that I take steps to explain to all pupils about my research and why, if I decide to pick my sample, some students fit the criteria and some don't? If the aim of my inquiry is to benefit my students as well as others then I must make sure that by not taking part my students aren't demoralised.

Lots to think about, reflect on and post about prior to giving out letters before the end of this term.

Watch this (blog) space!

References

Fraser, S. 2004. Doing research with children and young people. London: Sage Publications

Greene, S. and Hogan, D. 2005. Researching children's experience. London: SAGE

Sinden-Evans, A. 2013. Module 3 WBS 3760 - BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Arts) - Library Subject Guides at Middlesex University Learning Resources. [online] Available at: http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/content.php?pid=121076&sid=1086992 [Accessed: 18 Jul 2013].

Behind the scenes - pointe shoe makers

An ex-student of mine shared this link on Facebook and it brought back a million memories of excitement, pain, bloodied tights, 'breaking in', darning, fitting, higher vamps, combined soles, and so many, many more thoughts and feelings.

http://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/07/16/the-pointe-shoe-makers-of-hackney/

It's been many years since I wore point shoes but in all this time I never realised that the little symbols on the bottom were marks by the individual makers. I've just looked at a pair I've kept from my final show and would just like to say thank-you to the maker with the starburst mark who, along with countless others, gave me the opportunity to grow from 'wobbly pre-teen' into slightly more graceful student dancer...

S

Post-module musings

So, Module 2 has now been and gone...however, it will not be forgotten as, and we are all aware of this by now, it will colour and shape the way and how of Module 3.

I am pleased that my inquiry has been approved and very much looking forward to collecting in data and undertaking analysis. However, I've been thinking about my own motives/ the motivation behind wanting to look at 'student motivation' and, having read the following article, felt inspired to blog...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-thompson/cell-phone-experiment-by-macarthur-genius_b_3487455.html

The article made me reflect on several things that tie straight into my inquiry, and the usefulness of any research I undertake, but raised two main points for me:

1. Will looking into motivation provide me with tools to improve my students' performance? Or will knowing how to motivate students lead to potentially happier, more satisfied students but provide no 'performance-related' enhancements? Does it matter?
2. Motivation, in the form of rewards and incentives (extrinsic motivation), is short-term, while intrinsic motivation is more sustaining and a part of personal development (Tarr, 2005). However aiming to understand my students ideas and thoughts on motivation better does not mean that I will be able to 'help them to learn' more effectively it will just allow me to provide an environment in which learning can be enabled more effectively. So I must be aware of any 'claims' I make in my report.

I really want my research to be relevant - to me, as teacher/ researcher, and to my students - and be of interest, or even better, of help or use to others. I am hoping that the summer break will give me time to think along these lines, and read further into both my topic area and the research process, will enable me to engage with my inquiry in a clear, ethical and informed standpoint.

S

References
Tarr, L. (2005) Student Success: Motivating Middle School Students through Personal Development. Da Vinci Learning Technologies, Inc. Available at www.studentmindset.com/article-archive. Last accessed 28/02/2013

Reflections and acknowledgements

I really enjoy the Critical Reflection moment as it is such a great boost seeing just how much further I've progressed since starting both this module and the BAPP course.
I read my module 1 critical reflection to remind me of where I was at the end of 2012 and it really helped me to see that yes, I have gained new skills in module 2 but I've also developed existing skills from the last module and assimilated theory with skill into practice.
It's such a great feeling to know that everything I've done, read, shared or discussed has not only made the inquiry process exciting, even if it was a little challenging at times, but really made a difference to how I see myself, as teacher, and how I approach my students.
At the end of the day, whether I achieve my degree or not, it's got to be about becoming a better teacher, hasn't it?

It's been a really great term for developing friendships and connections with my fellow BAPPers and a big thanks to everyone who took the time to complete my surveys, comment on my blog, enter into SIG discussions or share in moments of panic! I really don't think any of this would have been as insightful, or fun, without you.

Hope everyone is feeling proud of their achievements.

 



Bring on the inquiry!

S

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

I appreciate, even more so than after Module 1, that everything is connected (Appendix A) yet totally dependent on personal bias, engagement with others, openness and inquisitiveness.

For this Critical Reflection, however, I have divided the text into three more easily identifiable areas of learning.

1. Work-based Learning

Greater interaction with fellow professionals in this module has proven even more the importance of building and maintaining, through active engagement, strong relationships within my community of practice, allowing me to:

·         build on ideas,

·         encounter new ways of thinking and areas of potential interest, and

·         resolve problems more successfully,

which, in turn, has lead to an even greater degree of professional development. (Appendix B)

I realise that by engaging in open and honest discourse with professional associates, about all aspects of my practice, I cannot eliminate conflict but I will gain greater skill, with which to identify potential issues, and tools, to build bridges or resolve problems before they escalate. (Appendix C)

2. Ethics

Developing a greater ethical awareness, alongside a deeper acknowledgement of my
personal morals, has highlighted the ‘power’ I have as both teacher and researcher, and that my primary objective must always be ‘to do no harm.’ (Appendix D)

By understanding, and accepting, that concepts such as truth, good, right, and wrong are subjective, and therefore open to interpretation, I am better informed to understand and, thereby, approach different ethical stances. (Appendix E - part one, Appendix E - part two)

3. Inquiry

I have been able to refine, condense and clarify my inquiry topic through a combination of:

·         blogging and commenting, (Appendix F)

·         reading and sharing, and (Appendix G)

·         piloting and reflecting. (Appendix H)

These skills will not only continue to support my learning and development in the next module - my research project - but in my professional practice too.

I have gained confidence in reading academic text, something that I had previously felt was beyond my grasp, by understanding how to approach and appraise the literature, and to pinpoint what is relevant to my specific needs at that point in time. (Appendix I)

By considering the limitations of my inquiry I am a lot more conscious of the constraints I encounter in my practice, and also my own limitations. I have started to realise that I cannot, and should not try to, control everything, and that certain responsibilities rest on other shoulders than my own.

I can also now acknowledge, and have taken steps to address, the fact that in trying to organise every aspect of my students learning I have been taking away their opportunity to develop autonomy and ownership. (Appendix J)

 

In conclusion, the process of engaging with this module has not only helped me to develop my inquiry but, perhaps more importantly, to see my professional practice as inquiry; to understand that problems encountered, questions raised, and weakness discovered should be treated with the same rigor as any formal research project. In future I will certainly reflect on not only the phenomenon itself but different approaches to it, the ethical considerations and implications of these strategies, and the inherent limitations in solving any practical problem.

 

Bibliography

Buckroyd, J. (2000). The student dancer: Emotional aspects of the teaching and learning of dance. Dance Books Ltd.

Council for Dance Education and Training. (2008/9). Code of Professional Conduct and Practice for Teachers of Dance, accessed 9^th May 2013 http://www.cdet.org.uk/teaching-and-qualifications/code-of-conduct/.

Denscombe, M. (2010). The good research guide: for small-scale social research projects. Open University Press.

Fallows, S. J., & Ahmet, K. (1999). Inspiring students: Case studies in motivating the learner. Routledge.

Fraleigh, S. H., & Hanstein, P. (Eds.). (1999). Researching dance: evolving modes of inquiry. Pittsburgh, Pa, University of Pittsburgh Press.

Greene, S., & Hogan, D. (2005). Researching children's experience methods and approaches. London, Sage.

Hart, C. (1999). Doing a literature review: Releasing the social science research imagination. SAGE Publications Limited.

Nordin-Bates, S. M., Quested, E., Walker, I. J., & Redding, E. (2012). Climate Change in the Dance Studio. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 1(1), 3-16, accessed 31^st March 2013, < http://www.psycontent.com/content/270273p1mmpg5137/>.  

Riley, J. (1990). Getting the Most from Your Data: A Handbook of Practical Ideas on how to Anlayse Qualitative Data. Technical and Educational Services.

Sass, E. J. (1989). Motivation in the college classroom: What students tell us. Teaching of Psychology, 16(2), 86-88, accessed 19^th March 2013,  <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15328023top1602_15>.

Stinson, S. W. (1997) A question of fun: Adolescent engagement in dance education. Dance Research Journal, 29 (2), 49-69, accessed 9^th May 2013, http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/listing.aspx?id=7373.

Lecture, but not lectured

I went to the third meeting of the Imperial Tap and Modern Group for this year (sadly I missed the last two due to work commitments). This workshop was 'Approaches to choreography' with Melody Squires (www.melodysquires.com).

Melody did a course last year on teaching turns so I was looking forward to having her again this time. She's really down-to-earth, very creative and has a passion that oozes out of every pore!

She started the 2-hours with a sit down discussion and brought in books, that she finds invaluable, to share with us all - a kindred spirit to us BAPPers! (I have put two of the books in the references).
She then started to read to us (from one of the books) about Laban' Analysis of Movement, which she likened to the choreographic 'ingredients of a cake' (she likes cake!!).
Basically it's like the pick 'n' mix of creating a dance piece:

(Image from Dance Composition, p.19)

Melody then went on to demonstrate, with a fellow teacher, how things like mirroring, canon, question & answer, could be used to create interest in even the most seemingly basic of movements.

She then went on to read to us about the process of creating:



Beginning of Composition

Stimulus

 

Decision

 

Mode of presentation

 

Improvisation

 

Evaluation of improvisation

 

Selection and refinement

 

Motif

 

Then we learnt a piece that she'd choreographed that was inspired by the Emile Sande track 'Clown' and that drew on her knowledge and experiences of the circus (audible and visual stimuli). The following link is to a performance of the routine by a group of dancers @Pineapple: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLv0mWhYlm0

 

We talked about ways to change and develop the group aspect of the choreography and how all the movements had a purpose - the tears of the sad clown (00.01), the clown car (00.10) and the custard pie in the face (00.18)...

 

We then moved on to a second routine, based on an idea that she had whilst working on a piece @Stagecoach, that involved the use of a newspaper as a prop (relationship to object). We then split into two teams to develop the solo choreography into a group piece. Our group played around with pattern, direction, timing and interaction but using the original choreography, whilst the other team had experimented with the theme of 'newspaper' and developed a piece of entirely new ideas and dance movements. This I found really interesting as it really highlighted how different people can interpret things in a variety of ways.

 

For the last part of the morning we sat down again and looked at how to evaluate a piece of choreography, as a whole and in parts (idea, relationships, motifs, etc.).

 

A really great morning that felt as if it had opened up new approaches to things like festival dances, exam dances and show numbers. However, and here is the main reason for writing this blog, I got the opportunity to use my 'new knowledge' much earlier than I could have anticipated...

I had an exam coaching class this afternoon in which I really wanted to help my students 'get a handle on' contrasting/ changing styles. Watching them perform the first of two amalgamations I suddenly remembered what Melody had read out about space - both size of performance area and extension in space. I began to talk to my students about how they could be aware of the studio space but that they should also develop an awareness of how much space they took up as a person, i.e. arms, levels, posture, etc. I went on to discuss how, in one of their dances, we (the audience) should be able to see and feel the space between and around them and, by contrast, the other dance should feel more condensed, tighter, like they were in a vacuum.

I then asked them to perform both dances with this in mind. A definite difference! :)

 

It just goes to show that there really is no end to the application of knowledge, whatever it may come originally labelled as!

 



 

References

 

Contemporaryjazz's channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/contemporaryjazz?feature=watch [Accessed 5th May 2013]

 

Maisel, E. (1995). Fearless creating: a step-by-step guide to starting and completing your work of art. Putnam.

 

Smith-Autard, J. M. (2010). Dance composition: A practical guide to creative success in dance making. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.